Walter Goodfellow—A Collector on Melville Island 21


but their continuous and monotonous call. G. placida started before

dawn with “ Four -a-bob ” varied sometimes with “ Four-bobber,

Four-bobber 55 from scores of throats the whole day long. The Bar

shouldered’s call was a deliberate “ Coo-coo 55 with equal persistency.

The two species also fought each other. They were mating in May,

and that may have had something to do with it. Had there been

other human beings in camp to distract one's attention, it might not

have been so bad, but entirely alone for long days together it was

terribly irritating. I should certainly never care to keep either species.


Another much prettier Dove, and far less common, was Smith's

Bronze-winged Partridge Dove (Geophaps smithii). When I first arrived

every day small parties of three or four came about the camp looking

very pretty, with their conspicuous white sides and scarlet and white

faces. After the end of March they disappeared entirely. As these

birds are confined to the northern territory, they must have gone

back to the mainland where they are called the Squatter Pigeon. They

told me these birds never settle in trees. That may be true or not, but

on Melville whenever they were disturbed they always flew up to

the highest trees. I caught three, two cocks and a hen. Unfortunately,

someone kindly opened their cage door while I was on shore at Port

Said, and they all escaped but the hen, which I recaught, and which

is now in the central aviary of the Zoo Bird House.


I think it was the second day after I landed on the island at the

end of February that some blacks brought in two large light-grey eggs,

which they said were Jabiru’s (.Xenorhynckus asiaticus). I don’t think

I know the egg of this Stork, but I thought at the time they looked

very much like a Crane’s, and suggested this to them, but as they

seemed to know both birds, or said they did, I let it remain at that,

although I did not buy them. After that many more were brought

in, always in pairs. The eggs had a polished surface, and were lightly

speckled with darker grey, except one pair which was entirely plain.

I am quite convinced now that they belonged to the Australian Crane

or Native Companion (Megalornis rubecundus). No doubt Jabirus

are on the island, although I never saw one, but Cranes were fairly

common. I saw quite a lot together on a swamp in the north-eastern

part of the island, and a pair lived in the immediate vicinity of my



